Draft appliance.



A. P. McKAY.

,DRAFT APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5. I915.

Patented July 4, 1916.

f tmrrED STATES rarENT OFFICE. I

AUGUSTA P. McKAY, or ROME, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR TO McKAY msc 21.0w 00., 01"] ROME, GEORGIA, A CORPORATION OF GEORGIA.

DRAFT APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1916. 2

Application filed November 5, 1915. Serial No. 59,834.

To all whom it may conccrn:

Be it known that I, A ITGUS'lA P. MCKAY, a citizen of the United States. residing at Rome, in the county of Floyd and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft Appliances; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains'to make and use the same.

' The present invention relates to improvements in draft appliances, and con1sts more particularly in an improved draft appliance similar irr type to that disclosed in my similarly entitled co-pending application Serial No. 38,494, filed July 7 1915.

It is an object of the present invention to construct and arrange the several parts so as to have the spring-pressed rod disposed substantially parallel to the line of draft, whereby the possibility of the same being moved or tripped by stalks or other passing obstructions will be eliminated.

rigid resistance under a reverse strain, when the engine is backed, as when subjected to strain under ordinary. forward running conditions,

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

.In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application; and in which similar reference symbols indicate corresponding parts in the several'views: Figure 1 is a top plan view of an improved draft appliance constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same, showing the parts in coupled ositionand Fi 3 is a similar view. )artlv in section, and illustrating the parts as released.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the frame of the appliance is composed of'a pair of elongated'members land 2 arranged parallel and in contact: throughout the major portion of their length, and having'their forward ends bent apart, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, to provide a slot or socket forrcceiving a hill 3' 011a coupling element. 4; which latter is preferably of substantially the same configuration employed in conne tion with my prior appliance asset forth the application above.

The forward ends of the members 1 and r 2 are connected by a pair of spaced bolts or rivets 5 and 6 between which the bill 3"0f the coupling element is adapted to be fitted, and upon the latter bolt 6 of which the same is adapted to revolve. as indicated in Fig-.4, to effect the release of the same. The coupling element 4 is under a constant strain, tending ton-evolve and release the same, by:

a connection 7, which may be rigid or flexia blc. and whereby the coupling element is; connected to the traction ychicle.

The coupling element is normally heldagainst such movement by a pin 8 projecting from opposite sides of the same and being fitted in recesses 9, formed one in each ofa pair of member-s10 and 11 connected to-,. gether by a bolt orothermeans 12 to con-', stit'utc alever which is fulcrumed, as indie cated at 13. on arivet or bolt, which latter also serves to connect the members 1 and 2 of the frame. The recesses 9 in the mem-- bers 10 and 11 of the lever are, formed with inclined or cam lower walls 14, whereby said lever may be swung from the position shown in F ig. 2 to that shown'in Fig. 3, and permit the release of the coupling element 4 when the draftstrain exceeds a predetermined degree.

7 At thcirupper ends the members 10and' 11'of the lever are connected bya pin 15 engaged by an eye 16b'ent from the end of a rod 17; the latter being slidably mounted through an eye bolt 18 fitted between a pair of bulged portions on the frame members 1 and 2, and held for vertical adjustment preserve the engagement between the pin 8 011 the coupling element 5 and the recesses 9 in the lever members. The frame is connected to the drawn vehicle by loose or flexible connection 24, engaging through a, ring 25,. or other device, secured through perforations in the rear ends of the frame members 1 and 2. A similar ring-member 26 may be interposed between the coupling element t and the connection 7, but it is to be understood that I do not wish myself restricted to any particular form of connection, as the same may obviously be, of a 'arietv of forms either. flexible or rigid.

In the operation of the improved appliance the frame, including the members 1 and 2, is coupled by the connections 24 and 25 to the plow, harvester, or other implement to be drawn, and the coupling element 4. through the connections 26 and 7, is coupled to the engine or traction vehicle. The appliance may be reversed, if desired,

1 2171(1'tl10 coupling element 4 connected to the drawn implement whilethe frame is connected to the traction vehicle, the operation of the appliance being the same.

,lVhen 'the' drawn vehicle encounters an obstructionplacing a sudden and severe strain on thc coupling ap 'iliance, such as would be likely to cause brcakagc of the same, such strain exerted through the draft connection 7 and ring it, will be ell'cctivc to revolve the coupling element 4 and bill 3 about the bolt. 6 as a center, forcing the pin 8 to ride on the inclined or cam lowcr walls'll of the recesses 9 in the lever members 1t) and 11, and move such lever to the position shown in Fig. 3 in opposition to the action of the coil spring 23 which is silnultancously being compressed bctwecn the eye, bolt is and lock nuts 21, 22. After the'releasc of the pin from the recesses 9, the connection 7 will swing the coupling element t to disengage the bolts 5 and (3, and the same will be drawn along with the traction vehiclc, leaving the in'plcmcnt uncoupled.

It is obvious that the lock nuts 21, 22, may be adjusted along the rod 17 to place the coil spring 23 under any required pressure to pcrmit i releasc of the coupling appliant-e under any'dcsired degree of strain, and said rod .17 is disposed horizontally and sul'istantially parallel to thelinc of draft so as not to be encountered by st'alks -or other obstacles which-would have a tendency tonnove the connected parts and release. the c onpling element at. In such horizontal position the spring-pressed rod 17 is not subject tobe reciprocated by the vertical vibration of the vehicles, and the same is therefore not liablev to be shaken or jarred to release the coupling. I

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of constructimi and arrangcmcnts of parts without departing from the spirit of my inventiom aml therefore I do not wish to be limitcd'to such. features except as may berequired by the claims.

1 claim:

1. An improved draft appliance comprising a frame connected to one vehicle and providing a socket therein, a coupling element having a bill rcmovably titted in said.

socket and adapted to swing to release the same, a lever mounted on said frame" and provided with: recess therein having a lower inclined face, a pin on 'said coupling clement normall) engaging the'rccess in said lever to hold the former in coupled position, yieldable means for. maintaining said lever with the recess engaging said pin and a connection between said coupling element and the other vehicle for tending to revolve said coupling element and engage. the pin with the inclined face of said rccess whereby to move the lever in opposition to said yicldablc means and release the elci'ncnt, substantially 'as cesscs therein, a pin on. said coupling ele mcnt engaging said recesses, vieldable means for holding said lever to maintain the pin in said recesses, and a connection between theother vehicle and said coupling element for tending to revolve the latter to disengage said pin and release the appliance, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aliix my signature.

AUGUSTA 1 McKAY. 

